William & Kate: TAKING THE CROW

AS KING CHARLES III'S HEALTH DECLINES AND SCANDAL ROCKS THE ROYAL FAMILY, THE PRINCE AND PRINCESS OF WALES ARE PREPARING TO STEP FORWARD – AND RESHAPE THE MONARCHY.

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PRINCE William and Princess Catherine appeared every bit the glamorous royal couple as they arrived at the 2026 EE BAFTA Film Awards in London Feb. 22.

But to careful observers, behind their wide smiles and impeccable styling — the Princess of Wales, 44, rewore a diaphanous pink ombré Gucci gown she first donned in 2019, while her husband, 43, coordinated in a berry velvet jacket—there were subtle signs of strain: flashes of furrowed brows, drawn lips and a noticeable lack of their usual supportive touches, body-language expert Judi James observed in one news outlet.

The Prince of Wales seemingly acknowledged his fraught mindset when asked if he'd seen Hamnet. “I need to be in quite a calm state, and I am not at the moment,” he said of watching the emotional drama about grief that won for outstanding British film. “I will save it.” Left unsaid: The BAFTAs appearance came just three days after the stunning arrest of his uncle Andrew Mountbatten-Windsor on suspicion of misconduct in public office. The arrest followed the U.S. Justice Department's release of emails suggesting Andrew, 66, had passed along confidential government information to disgraced financier and convicted pedophile Jeffrey Epstein while serving as Britain's trade envoy.

But the Andrew debacle isn't all that's been weighing on William. As King Charles III's health continues to decline more than two years after he was diagnosed with an undisclosed form of cancer, William and Kate—who a year ago announced her own cancer battle was in remission—are facing an inevitable and, a source tells Star, imminent promotion.